Gospel singer missing

2008-10-28 23:11

Sanri van Wyk

Pretoria - The Pretoria singer, Irene van Wyk, is missing again.

This became evident when she did not arrive at the Vonk Awards on Monday evening. Van Wyk had been nominated for an award.

A few hours after her disappearance she sent a cryptic SMS to a female friend, saying she had been "caught" and assaulted.

Irene, who was married to music promoter Louis van Wyk for nearly 14 years and is still one of his artists, had been missing since 10:00 on Monday morning, said police spokesperson Aveline Hardaker.

She was reported missing by Louis and their son, Vaughn, 20, at about 19:30.

Hardaker said Irene had gone to the hairdresser before she disappeared.

She confirmed that Irene had sent an SMS after her disappearance.

Tried to commit suicide

Last year Irene, who had been in the music industry for about 23 years, admitted to media representatives that she had taken pills to commit suicide.

This was after she had also disappeared, right before she was due to perform in Lambert's Bay. But she was only gone for five hours before her son found her at a hotel in Pretoria.

The singer's boyfriend of about three years, who only wanted to be identified as Edgar, said he had last seen her on Sunday.

He became worried as he waited at her house on Monday afternoon to pick her up for the Vonk Awards at Emperors Palace on the East Rand.

Irene had been nominated for a Vonk award in the category Best Gospel Album of the Year.

The singer, who often appeared as one of the scandalmongers on the kykNET programme Glitterati, was scheduled to make recordings for the programme on the red carpet.

Last person to see Irene

Edgar said when he still hadn't heard from her by 18:00, he started driving around to see if he could find her.

Sybil Minnaar of TCG Hairdressing in Faerie Glen, Pretoria, was probably the last person to see Irene before her disappearance.

From their conversation she deduced that Irene was having her hair done for the Vonk Awards and that she had every intention to attend the event.

She said she had to hurry up because she still had to fetch her clothes.

Minnaar said Irene seemed upsetterig and slightly tipsy. Her cellphone rang continuously.

Barry Pretorius, executive producer of the Vonk Awards, said he was told by the conveners that Van Wyk had not arrived.

No reason was given for her absence.

Louis said: "We are extremely worried. We don't know what to think. We're all on edge.

"The children (Vaughn and Irene-Louise, 16) are in a state. The police have already called all the hospitals and morgues."

- Beeld